Occupational exposure to pesticides and respiratory health
This article aims to review the available literature regarding the link between occupational exposure to pesticides and respiratory symptoms or diseases. Identification of epidemiological studies was performed using PubMed. 41 articles were included, 36 regarding agricultural workers and five regard...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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European Respiratory Society
2015-06-01
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| Series: | European Respiratory Review |
| Online Access: | http://err.ersjournals.com/content/24/136/306.full |
| _version_ | 1818245836943917056 |
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| author | Ali Mamane Isabelle Baldi Jean-François Tessier Chantal Raherison Ghislaine Bouvier |
| author_facet | Ali Mamane Isabelle Baldi Jean-François Tessier Chantal Raherison Ghislaine Bouvier |
| author_sort | Ali Mamane |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article aims to review the available literature regarding the link between occupational exposure to pesticides and respiratory symptoms or diseases. Identification of epidemiological studies was performed using PubMed. 41 articles were included, 36 regarding agricultural workers and five regarding industry workers. Among the 15 cross-sectional studies focusing on respiratory symptoms and agricultural pesticide exposure, 12 found significant associations with chronic cough, wheeze, dyspnoea, breathlessness or chest tightness. All four studies on asthma found a relationship with occupational exposure, as did all three studies on chronic bronchitis. The four studies that performed spirometry reported impaired respiratory function linked to pesticide exposure, suggestive of either obstructive or restrictive syndrome according to the chemical class of pesticide. 12 papers reported results from cohort studies. Three out of nine found a significant relationship with increased risk of wheeze, five out of nine with asthma and three out of three with chronic bronchitis. In workers employed in pesticide production, elevated risks of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (two studies out of three) and impaired respiratory function suggestive of an obstructive syndrome (two studies out of two) were reported. In conclusion, this article suggests that occupational exposure to pesticides is associated with an increased risk of respiratory symptoms, asthma and chronic bronchitis, but the causal relationship is still under debate. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T14:39:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0347e06ec2014b11b1b8b1a5e76a2fb4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0905-9180 1600-0617 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T14:39:15Z |
| publishDate | 2015-06-01 |
| publisher | European Respiratory Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Respiratory Review |
| spelling | doaj.art-0347e06ec2014b11b1b8b1a5e76a2fb42022-12-22T00:21:16ZengEuropean Respiratory SocietyEuropean Respiratory Review0905-91801600-06172015-06-012413630631910.1183/16000617.0000601406014Occupational exposure to pesticides and respiratory healthAli Mamane0Isabelle Baldi1Jean-François Tessier2Chantal Raherison3Ghislaine Bouvier4 ISPED – Laboratoire Santé Travail Environnement, INSERM U897, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France ISPED – Laboratoire Santé Travail Environnement, INSERM U897, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France ISPED – Centre INSERM U897 – Epidémiologie-Biostatistique, Bordeaux, France ISPED – Laboratoire Santé Travail Environnement, INSERM U897, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France ISPED – Laboratoire Santé Travail Environnement, INSERM U897, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France This article aims to review the available literature regarding the link between occupational exposure to pesticides and respiratory symptoms or diseases. Identification of epidemiological studies was performed using PubMed. 41 articles were included, 36 regarding agricultural workers and five regarding industry workers. Among the 15 cross-sectional studies focusing on respiratory symptoms and agricultural pesticide exposure, 12 found significant associations with chronic cough, wheeze, dyspnoea, breathlessness or chest tightness. All four studies on asthma found a relationship with occupational exposure, as did all three studies on chronic bronchitis. The four studies that performed spirometry reported impaired respiratory function linked to pesticide exposure, suggestive of either obstructive or restrictive syndrome according to the chemical class of pesticide. 12 papers reported results from cohort studies. Three out of nine found a significant relationship with increased risk of wheeze, five out of nine with asthma and three out of three with chronic bronchitis. In workers employed in pesticide production, elevated risks of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (two studies out of three) and impaired respiratory function suggestive of an obstructive syndrome (two studies out of two) were reported. In conclusion, this article suggests that occupational exposure to pesticides is associated with an increased risk of respiratory symptoms, asthma and chronic bronchitis, but the causal relationship is still under debate.http://err.ersjournals.com/content/24/136/306.full |
| spellingShingle | Ali Mamane Isabelle Baldi Jean-François Tessier Chantal Raherison Ghislaine Bouvier Occupational exposure to pesticides and respiratory health European Respiratory Review |
| title | Occupational exposure to pesticides and respiratory health |
| title_full | Occupational exposure to pesticides and respiratory health |
| title_fullStr | Occupational exposure to pesticides and respiratory health |
| title_full_unstemmed | Occupational exposure to pesticides and respiratory health |
| title_short | Occupational exposure to pesticides and respiratory health |
| title_sort | occupational exposure to pesticides and respiratory health |
| url | http://err.ersjournals.com/content/24/136/306.full |
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